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Does anyone have experience playing surf rock on bass?
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
Folks—I am interested in the bassists in the genre whom you find particularly interesting. I realize it’s not a “bass forward” genre but there is still more and less interesting lines. I thought E. Scott Esbeck—the bassist for Los Straitjackets in the 90s—did some nice walking stuff. And I have a vague memory of some interesting lines from the bassist for Man or Astroman?, again 90s stuff. Any recommendations for tracks or players?
That's the video I talked about in my previous comment. I really enjoyed the jams.
60 Cycle Hum has dozens of videos on reverb pedals. One giant rabbit hole but the Surfybear and the True Spring are the real winners.
Jimi told us we'd never hear surf music again. You callin' Jimi a liar?
I’m kinda partial to Finland’s gift to surf/guitar instrumental, Laika and the Cosmonauts. They were active in the 90’s through ‘08, and I got to see them live once. They came up with some interesting compositions, and while they would throw in sly little quotes from the classic stuff in a tongue-in-cheek fashion(plus some unexpected covers), everything they did was a modern spin on the genres. There’s no one particular track, you’ll just have to take it all in at your leisure(they put out a bunch of albums, most are on YT)but here’s a taste of them live...
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I think she's the weakest musician in the band but she also takes care of the vocals and she looks the part. I really like the horror angle they go for. It's fun!
The thing with surf is that the guitar usually does all the work and the bass only holds down the roots. In fact it's a common issue in other genres.
I've been writing a surf EP and I've been very aware of this. You write a song on guitar but then you have to give up some riffs to the other instruments in the band. Better arrangements, easier guitar parts and more fun for everybody. It's a win-win situation.
THE BREAK - surf band with members from Aussie bands Midnight Oil and Hunters and Collectors, with bassist Brian Ritchie from Violet Femmes (now lives in Australia).
Live Concert
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4h2XGENb6qj6uMLtCxKuqxVnGs92lyZ1
iTunes album
- Church of the Open Sky by The Break
Church of the Open Sky by The Break
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4h2XGENb6qj6uMLtCxKuqxVnGs92lyZ1
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I always found it odd that Ray claimed he wasnt influenced by surf guitar players because his sound has so much in common with them.
I play a little surf punk style stuff every on occasion myself. I love the genre. From the classics already mentioned here, to the revival 80’s stuff (Shadowy Men - Having An Average Weekend being used by the Kids In the Hall probably started my appreciation), to the bands that were kicking it into the new millennium. The Bomboras, Satans Pilgrims and the Ghastly Ones being particular favorites.
When it comes to bass for the genre, I honestly believe anything with a vintage tone works. P, J, Tbird, Danelectro, I’ve seen all four of those used and they all sounded great.
There's some of those original surf bands that didn't even have bassist. Bass isn't a strong card in surf music unfortunately. Those that had some decent riffs or runs are mixed so low in the recordings you can't hear most of them
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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Yeah. Pretty much anything through a generally flat set tube amp
Lada, from the Bambi Molesters (great Croatian surf band) is the one that got me interested in playing bass. Sam Bolle from Slacktone is another really good player.
I've heard it said that surf music (and instro combos immediately preceding) was the first genre to really embrace the electric bass. Anyway, some did just play roots, or simple blues patterns. Most of the songs are blues progressions. But within that framework some brought a little more to it--and of course youthful energy.
Here is Ron Griffith's part on the classic Surf Rider as recorded by The Lively Ones. I use this cover to illustrate:
Doug Henson with Eddie and the Showmen played a furiously fast tremolo picking part on this track. Earbuds reccommended!:
Here is Ron Griffith's part on the classic Surf Rider as recorded by The Lively Ones. I use this cover to illustrate:
Doug Henson with Eddie and the Showmen played a furiously fast tremolo picking part on this track. Earbuds reccommended!:
Thank you! I couldn’t remember the name of the band, I thought they were Russian or something, but they are killer.
I spaced and forgot to mention a friend of mine, Dave Arnson, who’s been running his band, the Insect Surfers, for over 40 years...
Obviously not a traditionalist, using an SG.
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I really should check out their other tunes---I discovered their song "Polaris" from that "Cowabunga" box set--one of my favorite surf tunes to play along.
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Dave is awesome. He used to have the white 3 pickup version, but there was a bit of an accident a few years back. Thought he had another one.
Jon Paul Balak on bass. He’s a beast. Plays exotica with Tikiyaki Orchestra and also with their surf version Tikiyaki 5-0. Fills in with a crap ton of other bands as well.
Did you ever get this project going?
I'm still with the band I joined a year and a half ago... Were on a bit of semi-hiatus right now because one of the guitarists is going through a lot of personal stuff right now related to his working and living situations, but the rest of us still get together for weekly practices. The latest songs we are incorporating into our set include stuff by the Crossfires, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and Paul Desmond, as well as a few more originals... We also want to do a version of the original James Bond theme that I arranged for a two-guitar + bass + drums surf setup, but it may have to wait until our other guitarist can join us again.
Most of the bass parts are simple, and there isn't a single formula for how surf basslines are created, but learning them can still be challenging for a bunch of different reasons, depending on the particular tune... Often it's because the bass on the original recording is difficult to discern for one reason or another. Sometimes it's because although the bass line may be really basic, the song is not constructed in an intuitive and symmetrical way, and the borders between different sections may be indistinct (making the song hard to properly parse), because the arrangement (or lack thereof) doesn't illuminate the transitions between one section and another. Sometimes it's because the bass line on the recording is somewhat tentatively played and not very consistent, perhaps with a flub here and there, but they kept the take anyway. I still find that importing the stereo versions of any given song into a sound editor, eliminating the channel with less bass in it, and making a mono file using the channel with more bass is the best tool for learning a challenging song. You could also just unplug the speaker with less bass in it or adjust your balance control, but using a sound editor application lets you make a proper mono track and gives you the option to adjust pitch if necessary (for songs not mastered at A = 440)
I'm still with the band I joined a year and a half ago... Were on a bit of semi-hiatus right now because one of the guitarists is going through a lot of personal stuff right now related to his working and living situations, but the rest of us still get together for weekly practices. The latest songs we are incorporating into our set include stuff by the Crossfires, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and Paul Desmond, as well as a few more originals... We also want to do a version of the original James Bond theme that I arranged for a two-guitar + bass + drums surf setup, but it may have to wait until our other guitarist can join us again.
Most of the bass parts are simple, and there isn't a single formula for how surf basslines are created, but learning them can still be challenging for a bunch of different reasons, depending on the particular tune... Often it's because the bass on the original recording is difficult to discern for one reason or another. Sometimes it's because although the bass line may be really basic, the song is not constructed in an intuitive and symmetrical way, and the borders between different sections may be indistinct (making the song hard to properly parse), because the arrangement (or lack thereof) doesn't illuminate the transitions between one section and another. Sometimes it's because the bass line on the recording is somewhat tentatively played and not very consistent, perhaps with a flub here and there, but they kept the take anyway. I still find that importing the stereo versions of any given song into a sound editor, eliminating the channel with less bass in it, and making a mono file using the channel with more bass is the best tool for learning a challenging song. You could also just unplug the speaker with less bass in it or adjust your balance control, but using a sound editor application lets you make a proper mono track and gives you the option to adjust pitch if necessary (for songs not mastered at A = 440)
